: : : Perhaps someone may be able to give me some information to assist a friend.: : : My friends wife has recently suffered very severe pain in the are of her ribs. This pain got progressively worse and she had go to her local hospital here in Ireland. The pain was so bad she had to have morphine to give some relief. Initially the doctors thought she had an infection in one of her ribs but after lots of tests a doctor has told her she has a very rare condition called "Bourne Holmes" Disease (not sure of the spelling).: : : He indicated that this was the first case he had seen in 25 years of practice. She continues to need morphine and is quite worried about her condition. the doctor has gone on holiday and she and her husband are unable to find any information locally.

: : : Can anyone help with information, even the correct spelling of the ailment would be a start.

: : : Thanks in anticipation

: : : Pat: : : Dublin: : : Ireland

: : Anything I say should not substitute for advice from your doctor. The correct spelling is Bornholm Disease. In this disease there can be a lot of pain with breathing. This is due to inflammation on the outside of the lungs and the inside of the rib cage. Also the chest pain can increase with touching or putting pressure on the area. Increased feeling over the area is also possible. Muscle swelling can occur. There may also be headache, sore throat, feeling weak/tired and nausea. Sorry I couldnt find more info for you.: : beatle1234a@ivillage.com

: : Thank you very much for your efforts and your reply. The correct spelling alone has proven a great help. I have discovered that it is also known as "The Devil's Grip" and it is named for the town in Holland where it first surfaced. It is caused by a virus and although very painful it usually clears in a few weeks.

: Once again, thank you.

: Pat

Hello, I am just writing this to let your friend's wife that she is not alone. I was diagnosed with this disease when I was 14 years old. I went into the hospital and unfortuantely I was one of the rare ones to get other coxackie "b" viruses along with the bornholm causing coxackie, and I also developed the rare side effect of fibrinous pleuritis. It was a painful experience, and I had problems for about 3 years afterward. I was very weak, tired and my heart was not as strong. However, I made it through and was doing very well. Yet, I have just started experiencing pain again in my abdominal wall, and now my chest. The doctors thing it is very rare, but they believe it may be the bornholms again. It has not effected me as bad as it did 10 yrs ago, but it is still no picnic in the park. I hope it isn't that because doctors can only treat the symptoms because it is viral.

I know that she feels overwhelmed and alone, but reassure her that she is not. I know I seem to be the odd ball, and it does not mean this will happen to her. But, I just wanted to let her know, in case she goes through what I did, that she can survive it. It may be tough, and there will be days that she feels so weak, but she will make it and she will be stronger again. There is not much out there regarding the disease, but the little bit out there is a little more reassurance that somebody has been there too. The site designstop.com has a good article on it. (I think that is the site address) if not go to dogpile.com and do a search on bornholm's disease and it is the first choice.